The Dish

THE DISH

December 31, 2003|By LIZ ATWOOD | LIZ ATWOOD,SUN STAFF

Fueling up in morning

Despite the bad press carbs have been given lately, the truth is your body needs some carbohydrates to fuel your muscles. An easy way to get your carbs in the morning is this Chopped-Potato Breakfast Salad from the Idaho Potato Commission:

Cut three large, scrubbed Idaho potatoes into 3/4 -inch cubes and place in a large saucepan. Add water, cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a serving bowl.

With the holidays coming to an end, you may want to start your New Year's diet with a new gadget: the Grapefruiter from Chef'n. Simply insert the Grapefruiter into a halved grapefruit and squeeze. You'll get a grapefruit section without the mess.

The Grapefruiter sells for a suggested retail price of $19.99 at kitchen stores and online at www.chefn.com.

For grand bakers

Do you have a recipe that's worth a million? Find out by entering the Pillsbury Bake-off Contest, the country's richest cooking contest with more than $1.3 million in cash, merchandise and trips given away, including a $1 million grand prize.

This year, the contest features new categories - Dinner Made Easy, Weekends Made Special, Fast Snacks & Appetizers, and Breakfast Favorites. The 100 top contestants will compete in Hollywood, Calif., in June.

The deadline to enter is March 10. For information and entry forms, visit www.pillsbury.com/bakeoff.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a number of guides available to help cooks and servers prepare and store meals safely. When it comes to the holiday buffet, the USDA advises hosts and hostesses to serve food on several small platters rather than on one large platter.

Keep foods in the refrigerator or oven for as long as possible and replenish the party table by adding new trays of food, not simply adding food to existing trays. Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours.

Learn to prepare fish and seafood of all kinds in three-day cooking sessions at Kent Manor Inn in Stevensville. The classes will be held Jan. 23-25, Feb. 2-4, Feb. 17-19, Feb. 27-29, March 5-7, March 12-14, March 19-21 and March 23-25. $499 plus tax, includes all meals and lodging for two nights. For more information, call 800-820-4511 or visit www.kentmanor.com.

Enjoy heart-healthy cuisine from some of Baltimore's top restaurants and help a worthy cause at Heartfest 2004, 7:30 p.m. to midnight Jan. 17, at Martin's West. $75. Proceeds benefit the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center. For information, call 410-560-2230.